The attractions of East Cowes are well-known, but for us as food reviewers they have historically been relatively few. Not to say there haven’t been highlights. We’ve enjoyed the classy food at the Albert Cottage, the cheerful atmosphere at hipstery pizza joint Prego, and even nodded in approval at... Read more
Food eh? You push it into one hole and squeeze it out of another. Gravity and peristalsis assist it on its journey until, released from us human tubes, it bobs its way to Sandown for processing – but hopefully not out to sea (that’s a whole other article of... Read more
It’s been an age since we had one of those dinners in which each course delights and confounds our expectations. However, we knew that if we were going to experience food like that anywhere again, then it would be at Ventnor’s Royal Hotel – location of so many memorable... Read more
Aside from the Bitesize donut kiosk in Newport, Drunken Lobster must be a candidate for the Isle of Wight’s smallest eatery. Back when it was El Toro Contento, about a third of the bistro was taken up with a kitchen, and not an inconsiderable amount of space on the... Read more
Gorblimey! Now we know how Mary and Joseph felt a week or so before Christmas. (Christmas? Perhaps it was simply known as ‘Mas’ back then.) Trying to get dinner without a reservation at the height of the Island’s staycationing summer might be considered to be misfortune, to aspire to... Read more
The Isle of Wight has its own annually-spinning merry-go-round. Year after year, summer follows spring; in non-pandemic times we would be gearing up for the Garlic Festival, Ryde scooter rally, Pride, local carnivals and other fixtures on the Island’s perpetual calendar. But, for the second year in a row,... Read more
One of our favourite games is ‘Either/Or’, which is inspired by the famous conundrum of whether you would rather fight a horse-sized duck or one hundred duck-sized horses. Our version is, naturally, more food based. For example, if you could only have one thing to accompany your desserts for... Read more
Lordy! The landscape of the takeaway has changed enormously since the arrival of COVID-19. We were quite happy with our intermittent curry, the occasional Friday fish and chips and perhaps a cheeky chain burger. But, as the virus rumbles interminably on, so do our stomachs – for something more... Read more
We love Ryde’s No 64. Of course, we’re all about the nammet so, with their Asian-inspired dishes and hearty stews along with traditional favourites, we’re always spoilt for choice. But what sets No 64 apart is the incredible customer service. Often that choice we want to make is made... Read more
We are unashamed fans of chef and restaurateur Ryan Burr. We’ve followed his career from its early days at Chale Green Stores, via his eponymous street food pop-up Burr Grills, to the rock ‘n’ roll Asian-Latin fusion of Nomad. Now he’s back almost where it all started. We remember... Read more
